Law and Order - The Second Year (2004)

Law & Order, NBC's long running crime drama, has succeeded largely because it has a formula that emphasizes story over character. Each show begins with the police discovering a crime, and for the first half-hour two detectives (here it's Noth and Dzundza) wade through the evidence to come up with a prime suspect. The second half hour follows the suspect to trial and is told from the DA's point of view to allow the show to dissect the intricacies of the US legal system. Staying topical by taking cases straight from current headlines, Law & Order is no less compelling when seen long after the real life events have faded from the headlines, thanks in large part to its terrific cast and its intelligent and involving writing. This program contains the complete second season of the series.